As the Andorian told the story of the interrupted shelthrethceremony at the Aenar city, Archer watched his officers. Trip still seemed distant, and T’Pol stoic, but Malcolm seemed–not surprisingly–to be listening eagerly and expectantly.

After a few minutes of explanation, Shran finally settled back into his chair. “Due to my…loss of the Kumari, the Imperial Guard has been less than helpful on this matter. They wouldn’t even grant me the use of a garbage scow and its crew, much less another military ship.”

Theras spoke up. “We also suspect that those to whom we had to appeal may also have resented the time that Shran spent among the Aenar.”

“‘Vacation among the pacifists’ is not high on most Guard officers’ ‘to‑do’ lists,” Shran said wryly. “So we used the craft I have now. Not very fast, and no weapons to speak of, but it can still follow a trail. We’ve been tracking the slavers for six days now. Their vessel has a unique warp signature.”

“What I don’t understand is why the Orions acted so boldly,” Malcolm said, gesturing with his hands as if they were claws descending on prey. “Andoria’s military isn’t exactly known for its lack of readiness. Why would they directly attack a city there and risk capture…or worse?”

Theras turned in Reed’s direction. “The relationship between the Aenar people and the Andorian majority is largely one of mutual suspicion. When you add to that the inherent conflict between our pacifistic beliefs and the frequent belligerence of the Imperial Guard, it’s not hard to understand why the military isn’t highly motivated to help us. During the conflicts against the Vulcans and the Tellarites over the past few years, Imperial Guard protection for the Aenar has waned to almost nothing. Given their predilections, it’s highly likely that the Orions have kept abreast of these facts, and therefore saw us as easy prey.”

“The Orions also appear to be taking advantage of local peculiarities in Andoria’s magnetic field lines,” Shran added. “The effect is most extreme at the poles, where the field is weakest and lets some of our star’s solar wind actually reach the surface in places. The infall of charged particles obscures Andoria’s planetary security sensors, and probably allowed the slavers to bring a small ship into the northern wastes completely undetected by the Imperial Guard.”

“So now we know howthey did it,” Archer said. “But we still don’t know whythe Orions are kidnapping Aenar.” He had already formulated an answer to that question, but he wanted to hear what the others thought before he articulated it.

T’Pol tilted her head, momentarily regarding him as a parent might an obtuse child. “It is logical to assume that the Aenar are not being used for physical labor, given their lack of a visual sense. However–”

“However, their telepathic abilities certainly give them a fair number of other uses for the slavers and their clients,” Reed said, interrupting her in his evident enthusiasm to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Trip cleared his throat, then spoke for the first time in minutes. “What worries me is who the Orions’ customers might be. The last time we ran into something like this it was the Romulans. What if these wholesale abductions mean that the Romulans are planning to send their drone ships against us again? With dozens of Aenar telepaths at their disposal instead of the one they had last time, they could do one hell of a lot of damage.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Shran said in somber tones.

T’Pol looked down at a padd in her hand. “The trajectory the Orion warp signature is following doespoint toward Romulan space.”

“And about three dozen otherstar systems along the way,” Reed said grumpily.

Archer sighed heavily and considered the points of their discussion so far. The conjecture certainly seemed plausible, and if there was some kind of massed drone‑ship attack being planned, it was certainly going to spell trouble for someone. But for whom?

Which planet would the Romulans attack first, if that’s really their plan? Will it be one of the core Coalition worlds? Or will it be a target in one of the nonaligned systems scattered between here and the Romulan Empire?

And therein lay the rub. They had no real proof of anything, other than the scanty evidence that Shran and Theras had provided them.

“Given the circumstances, and the lack of concrete information,” Archer said finally, “I’m not sure I can justify devoting Enterprise’s resources to helping you, Shran.”

Malcolm nodded. “Unless some more definitive evidence pointing to the Romulans emerges, I’m forced to agree.”

Trip scowled, shaking his head in silent dissent, while T’Pol sat impassively, keeping her own counsel in typically Vulcan fashion. Archer had no doubt that at least one of them would insist on having words with him about this matter in private, and soon.

Shran stood up, his fists pounding the tabletop, his antennae rigid. “Captain, you musthelp us! If you don’t, you will not only have dishonored your debt to me, but you also could be leaving your world and your allies exposed to a potentially lethal series of Romulan attacks.”

Archer refused to allow himself to take the emotional bait, though he found it difficult not to respond in kind to Shran’s increasingly bellicose tone. “Shran, it’s that ‘could be’ that sticks for me. I will inform Starfleet Command, and report everything you’ve told me. But unless my superiors order me to pursue the Orions, I simply can’t afford to go off on what could turn into a weekslong interstellar chase. At least, not until after the Coalition Compact business is concluded back on Earth.”

Shran’s skin blushed a darker blue, and he closed his lips tightly, glaring at Archer. Finally, he said, “I am asking you, as an ally, as someone who has fought beside you, andagainst you, to help me find Jhamel.”

Archer glanced briefly at Theras, who seemed to stare at him expressionlessly with those milky, unseeing eyes. He wondered if the Aenar really was as flaccid and lacking in will as he appeared. Though he might well still have been in shock over the abduction of his bondmates, Theras seemed as unmoved by their plight as he’d been by Shran’s earlier declaration of affection for Jhamel.

“We have to be back to Earth in three weeks for the signing ceremony,” Archer said. “Unless Starfleet issues new orders, that’s nonnegotiable. In the meantime, I don’t think we can risk doing anything–including provoking the Orions–that might cause a major disruption to the Coalition. But I will considerall the facts–as you have presented them–and discuss with my superiors and my officers what can be done about your request. In the meantime, you and Theras should take some time for a shower and get some food in the mess. Trip can also assign you an engineer if your ship needs any repairs or supplies.”

Shran continued to glare at Archer as Theras moved his chair back and stood. As soon as he moved aside, Shran stepped forward and put his hands on the table’s edge, then leaned in toward Archer.

“I’d advise you not to waste too much time ‘considering,’ pinkskin. The slavers already have a six‑day head start now.They’re on the move, heading toward the Romulans, with fresh munitions for their war machine. And one of those munitions–whether I can have her or not–is the woman I love.”

Shran strode angrily toward the door, then turned back around to regard the room from the open doorway. “You worry about what you risk by pursuing the Orions.” His voice sounded as cold as Andoria’s northern wastes. “But be certain that you alsoconcern yourself with the danger to the Coalition of Planets should you choose to ignore what I’ve told you.”

Shran stormed out of the captain’s mess, with Theras following meekly behind him.